“Challet, King Of Elshar Zheiea, will now speak.” He bowed, and Challet bowed much lower.
His silver curls shook on his shoulders. He had more pins on his sash than Cevit Ion! His uniform was orange-yellow with a yellow sash. Tessite decorations, similar to a master healer’s, decorated the border of his sash. I hadn’t seen that. He definitely fit my definition of a fairy-tale king, except instead of a crown, he wore a flat nine-sided hat of golden yellow with Tessite symbols on each panel’s part of his headband. He was graceful, despite trembling. Cevit Ion let me know he is near 200 years old and he’s waiting to be recloned younger until his wife is with him. Pirad is working on that.
Outside, a bunch of people in white tunics and pants led riding animals of all descriptions! Some were like horses and in most colors we have ‘em in, but others had different-shaped heads. I recognized dorna, like very muscular donkeys with cow faces. Caeln, kind of like camels, but they don’t spit or have humps. They have very flat, soft backs, and they’re slow. Healers love to put sick people on ‘em if they want to sleep on one, because they’re somehow good for Zheien mind pains.
“My people, we have much change in our lives today! I fear for all of you, especially my bae and sae who came from slavery! You are free, my children, and you have healers to care for you. Rainbow’s healers can help any of you who have pain with certain thoughts, or even to hear your names. Please, tell a healer if you have pains. Remember the words of Queen Molly. Rest when weary. See a healer if unwell. These are wise words, so I also use them.
“My people, I asked all of you to come to Elshar Zheiea, all those of Rahn Estar who provided us foods and minerals to trade, and facilities that will yet produce ships and weapons, but we think the end of our long war comes soon. And, all those of K’hasa Zha. Some fear to come, but we brought all who were willing, led by King Donterian. We will nae relent in trying to convince all of Zheien birth to leave K’hasa Zha! We fear those who refused my request are trained to stay with slaver herbs.
“I sent many operatives, some of them, Earthans, to live as Elshar traders but watch for those taken as slaves. Most of us are here, and we number 20 quadrillion in K’hasa Zha, 2500 in Rahn Estar, and our facilities on Rahn Estar and Esta Faho have 25,000 workers, mostly in the shipbuilding facility. But, these workers are nae part of our numbers, for they yet have citizenship in their Elshar homes. Perhaps 20% are Ishah.
“We offered for all to live on worlds of Alb, and few created or moved homes to Alb. They have lodging, but nae official homes as far as their Alliance records. Few are of the Unified. If one wishes a citizenship, he may ask of any diplomat, and we have the Diplomats House Of Rahn Estar. All are told of it.
“Adia Rayaline, Scientist Of Areon, discovered a new, plentiful fuel. Ships idle for centuries fly again! Pirad, Elder Of Bisillipia, came with healing and new tech for portals and ships that those of Zheien birth have nae pains to travel. Most species have nae pain, but there are some that nae travel for fear of death. Even those may now travel, so we will see new species among our traders who visit Alb! This is a time of miracles.
“Adia is now Queen Of Ye~, for she married Ryonne~, King Of Ye~, Ry’nao’s Unified Diplomat for four years, now! He is the youngest to hold such a post, and she is a worthy wife for a skilled one such as he. Many kings of Zheiea are rethinking our tradition of long courtships. They look to my kingdom and I advise them that a hundred years past, I advised all of my people to make their courtships a week at most. Our haste in courtship and marriage brought nae harms to us. Marriages are happy, and I lose fewer during this happiest of times! We are nae a foolish people. Perhaps Ryonne~ and his new queen lead the way for other kingdoms. Their people are happy, and even Ishmarel, King Of Zheiea, married his Alice today.”
People waved their arms in the air, so I did, too. Cevit Ion told me the Unified Diplomat position is the 2nd most important and a joint position between the Unified and Alliance trade networks like Diplomatic Service, Traders Service, Science Service, Healer Colony Service and Education Service. Unified Diplomats rarely last 2 years because their missions are the hardest on our level.
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Ryonne~’s family has had many of them, so that’s one reason Ye~ is so respected. They only have 2500 people. MarKu has 70 decillion. You’d expect, statistically, for the largest Zheien colony to have the most talent.
I expected him to talk about Adia’s ability to see futures for people, or her prophecies about the fall of MarKu and other places that landed us here, but he didn’t.
“I wish Ashapat to explain what we do in Rainbow Elshar Zheiea, to ease your minds before we move to beds there. Ashapat, Master Healer Of Elshar Zheien.”
Ashapat also had silver curls and shook as he came out there. His skin was light gray. “My bae and sae, I also spoke long with Ahstam, who sits with Cev’s family. He is a cloned ba of Ahstam, and will work in Rainbow. Many of his clones will go to each prov’s Healers Chamber. We will have clones of every notable healer including Mehai Of Ishah, before slavers trained him for their work, Feia Na, Founder Of Ishah, Via, Master Healer Of Ishah, Pie, Master Healer Of MarKu, Pas, Master Healer Of Ye~, Aib, Master Healer Of Eans, Math~an, Master Healer Of Escet Vuans, and more. Clones of myself and my bae will also go to each prov. If a family has need of one to stay with him, his healer may request a clone of any healer that pleases him. Pirad can add skills of a hundred healers with abilities to benefit Zheien who are mixed with Elshar. Our healing is difficult at best, but Rahn Estar suffered as nae colony has. We need to tell our healers of even minor unwells.”
I looked over at Cevit Ion’s family. He kept a hand on Jirris in his lap. Held onto his dark curls!
“Our plan is to gather in the buildings of Rainbow, outside us. Those couples who wish privacy may have a room with familiar furnishings, and their healer will have a bed in the hall outside their portal. I ask that when nae needing privacy, all remain on a bed in the main chamber that we can offer healing oft.
“Many of us learned to ignore unwells, to make travel possible, and to do important work for our lieges. Now we can easily make cloned bae and sae, and each of them may choose to continue work that they have memories of skills to accomplish. Their records will state the fact that they are clones, and once, in the early days of the Alliance, clones were common and shared work. Any person may send his cloned ba or sa to do his work, on any world.
“There is nae need for death with honor in your occupations. Ry’nao said we are to cease this practice, that we healers long protested! Of all Zheien, deaths of preventable unwells are most common in those mixed with Elshars, and all of us have yellow skin. The second highest number of these are Eans, those with green skins. Third highest is the Yeff, even though their skins are orange. Eans and Yeff had to undergo extreme genetic modifications to live on their worlds, but Pirad changed their worlds so they are now healthy!” His blue eyes turned light. He smoothed his white robe, that had blue-green borders, and Tessite decorations tinkled.
“Pirad gave us Elshar Zheiea, a world with nae poisons, and nae mines! All mineral that would be mined was moved to Esta Faho and Rahn Estar, and all mining, shipbuilding and weapons research is now automated. We gave choices to the 12,000 who work on Esta Faho, and they moved to Rahn Estar. Our combined facilities there are more efficient, and have more protections for workers.
“Most of the weapons facility moved to Lisbaar Alb to be with their families. There is only one family in the old weapons facility on Esta Faho, and we can nae convince them to leave. Pirad moved all of the mines of Rahn Estar, to Esta Faho. This includes all the mines of Rahn Estar and all its pollution, Kin Para’s mines, Sara Kia’s mines, and the unmined minerals of Calladia and Sara Kia.
“All worlds except Esta Faho will be farming worlds now, and automated, but for the facilities on Rahn Estar with their workers who wish to keep their homes on their homeworlds or other worlds of Alb. Most workers of Rahn Estar moved their homes to Samar Thaae. Most of Esta Faho chose D’sharr Alb. These will continue to work on Rahn Estar.”
Farms? On worlds with mine poisons? That didn’t make sense--